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How to list Jira fields used across all BigPicture views (Data Center)

How to list Jira fields used across all BigPicture views (Data Center)

Here’s an updated, ready-to-publish UC-style article that includes all relevant documentation links mentioned in the ticket and related docs.

How to list Jira fields used across all BigPicture views (Data Center)

When planning a migration from BigPicture Data Center to BigPicture Cloud, it is often necessary to verify which Jira custom fields are used in your BigPicture views. This is especially important for custom fields coming from third‑party Jira apps, as their behavior in Cloud may differ or be limited.

This article explains how, on Jira Data Center, you can:

  1. List all Jira fields referenced in BigPicture views.

  2. Get a detailed mapping of which BigPicture boxes and views use which Jira fields.

  3. Use this information to configure and test corresponding views on your Cloud test instance.

Scope

  • Jira platform: Data Center

  • App: BigPicture – Project Management & PPM (DC)

  • Requires access to the Jira database (read‑only).

Background: Third‑party custom fields and migration

The differences between BigPicture Cloud and Data Center are described in our public comparison:

In particular, note the section:

Custom fields from third‑party Jira apps in BigPicture and BigGantt.
Depending on the functionality of a given plugin, custom fields based on third‑party Jira apps may have limited or different functionality in the Cloud version of the product. For example, Traffic Lights can be displayed only as a text field.

When you are analyzing migration impact, a practical first step is to find out which Jira fields are actually used in your BigPicture views on Data Center. Those fields can then be:

  • Re‑created/verified on your Cloud site, and

  • Added to the relevant BigPicture Cloud views to test for potential issues.

For general guidance on using the BigPicture database for reporting, see:

1. List all Jira fields used by BigPicture

To get a distinct list of Jira fields referenced anywhere in BigPicture views, run the following SQL query on your Jira database:

SELECT DISTINCT "EXTPLATFORM_FIELD_ID" FROM "AO_0456E7_T_CORE_FIELD_E_MAP";

Result:

  • Each EXTPLATFORM_FIELD_ID value corresponds to a Jira field ID used by BigPicture (for example, customfield_12345 or system field IDs).

  • This gives you a high‑level inventory of all Jira fields that appear in BigPicture views.

Next steps:

2. Detailed mapping: Boxes, views, and fields

If you need more context (which views use which fields), use the following SQL query:

SELECT t1."ID" AS box_id, t2."NAME" AS view_name, t2."TYPE" AS view_type, t4."NAME" AS bigpicture_field_name, t5."EXTPLATFORM_FIELD_ID" AS jira_field_id, t4."DATATYPE_ID" AS bigpicture_field_datatype FROM "AO_0456E7_BOX" t1 JOIN "AO_0456E7_BAT_VIEW" t2 ON t2."BOX_REF_ID" = t1."ID"::varchar JOIN "AO_0456E7_BAT_VIEW_F" t3 ON t3."TASK_VIEW_ID" = t2."ID" JOIN "AO_0456E7_T_CORE_FIELD_DEF" t4 ON t4."ID" = t3."TASK_FIELD_DEF_ID" JOIN "AO_0456E7_T_CORE_FIELD_E_MAP" t5 ON t5."TASK_FIELD_DEF_ID" = t4."ID";

Columns explained:

  • box_id – BigPicture Box ID (stored in AO_0456E7_BOX).

  • view_name – Human‑readable name of the BigPicture view (for example, a saved Gantt or Scope view).

  • view_type – Internal type of the view/module (for example, Gantt, Scope, Board).

  • bigpicture_field_name – Name of the field as defined in BigPicture.

  • jira_field_id – Jira field ID that the BigPicture field is mapped to (for example, customfield_XXXXX).

  • bigpicture_field_datatype – Data type information used by BigPicture for that field.

What this gives you:

  • A full matrix of [Box] → [View] → [BigPicture Field] → [Jira Field].

  • The ability to filter for specific Jira fields, Box IDs, or view types.

  • An easy way to identify views that rely on custom fields from third‑party apps, which may behave differently in Cloud.

For more context on field definitions and values in the database, see also:

3. Using the results for Cloud testing

Once you have the list of Jira fields and their usage:

  1. Identify third‑party fields

  2. Recreate or verify fields on your Cloud site

    • Ensure that equivalent custom fields exist on Jira Cloud (same type or closest possible type).

    • Keep in mind that some field types or behaviors may not be available in Cloud (for example, Traffic Lights displayed only as text).

  3. Configure BigPicture Cloud views

    To verify behavior in Cloud:

  4. Run functional tests

    • Validate that BigPicture Cloud can display and work with those fields in each module you care about (Gantt, Scope, Board, Risks, etc.).

    • Pay special attention to fields known to be limited in Cloud (for example, Traffic Lights rendered as text, constrained select‑list behavior, etc., as described in the comparison pages).

4. Relevant documentation links (summary)

For convenience, here are all key links referenced in this article:

5. Notes and caveats

  • Read‑only DB access:
    Run the SQL queries only with read‑only access, and preferably on a non‑production copy of your database, in line with your organization’s policies.

  • Table naming (AO_0456E7_*):
    BigPicture stores its configuration in several AO_0456E7_* tables. For this use case, the most relevant are:

    • AO_0456E7_BOX – boxes

    • AO_0456E7_BAT_VIEW – views

    • AO_0456E7_BAT_VIEW_F – fields assigned to views

    • AO_0456E7_T_CORE_FIELD_DEF – BigPicture field definitions

    • AO_0456E7_T_CORE_FIELD_E_MAP – mapping between BigPicture fields and Jira fields (EXTPLATFORM_FIELD_ID)

  • Cloud behavior differences:
    Even if a field exists on Cloud, its behavior or capabilities may differ from Data Center. Always validate critical business flows on your Cloud test instance.8 Sources